What kinds of sentences are typically used in engineering writing?

i

Basic sentences will include a sequencing word/phrase (the circumstance), move on to defining the participant(s), then give the process or action word and conclude with place(s) or circumstance(s).

ii

Notice that the language is taken from the field of engineering language, the tenor is formal and the mode is very written:

	The pipette	was	then	placed	carefully	at the outlet.
SFL description	Participant Who/What?	Process (What’s happening)	Time sequencer	Process/Action What’s happening?	Circumstance How?	Circumstance/Place Where?
TG description	Article plus noun Subject	Auxiliary verb	Signpost	Verb Finite, passive verb	Adverb More information about the verb	Preposition, article plus noun Adverbial phrase

iii

Notice how useful the layers of description above are: each one prompts careful thinking about the language choices you are making so that your writing is effective in context.
Notice that there are two layers of description given here (and throughout the MOG TREE system). In each case, you will be offered the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) descriptors first and then the traditional grammar (TG) descriptors. You can choose the most useful or familiar type of description to suit your purposes.

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